The only event of “Effetto Venezia” taking place outside the Venice quarter is a performance of “Cavalleria Rusticana” in “Piazza XX Settembre”. Another brilliant mind, you noticed we have so many here, moved the action from a village in Sicily to somewhere in Spain, only to please this year's Iberian fixation of the “Effetto” organizers.Not a single note in the music of Mascagni sounds as even vaguely Spanish, a song is sung in Sicilian and the characters bear quite un-Spanish names like Santuzza and Turiddu. Lola could even do as a Spanish name, but her opening aria is a Tuscan “stornello”...
We went at the Saturday dress rehearsal, open to the public. Here the women of the chorus was still rehearsing without costumes.
Sicilian (or Spanish) peasant women had a strange resemblance to the parasoled women of so many Monet's paintings.
In his opening scene Alfio, the village teamster, was waving a whip so huge that could tame a dinosaur.
Lucia, Turiddu's mother, duetting with Santuzza. The acoustic was “enhanced” by using electronic amplification.See also: White Night - Venezia Makes Effect - Effetto Venezia
I'm sorry, but by the time I finished reading your comments and looking at the photos, I was laughing out loud! What a funny post. What funny people in Effetto Venezia...they're just as funny as some we have here in the States.
ReplyDeleteI see you are really enjoying Effetto Venezia. ;)
ReplyDeleteYet the impression people take home may enable them to start the new week with music and joy. A start just as good for you as well.
ReplyDeleteWSell, I guess creativity needs new outlets!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Thanks for showing this.
ReplyDeleteI love Sicilian (or Spanish) peasant women - it's obvious that they used to wear this kind of cloth and carry umbrellas sttrolling along the fields:)
ReplyDeleteThe first photo is fantastic!
Okay... So you weren't convinced by it :-) but were the orchester and singers any good?
ReplyDeleteI would like to attend to this event, looks interesting.Once I saw a kind of event at TV, and I was curious about.I don't know if it's "my kind of music"but it's different and I would like to see one show like this one.
ReplyDeleteI need to say your pictures are excellent, I imagine you where near the stage.The light is perfect.
hugs and a happy week
Léia
I like the staging.
ReplyDeleteLike the light and projection.
ReplyDeleteThese productions can be really good or really bad. I hope for your sake it was the former.
ReplyDeleteVP, my mouth is almost getting stretch marks from smiling so broadly! It's a little insane how we try to put square pegs into round holes in life... Nonetheless, I enjoy live performances... and I usually give more leeway when the performers are students or hobbyists, rather than professionals (although you did not mention what these were.) Nice reporting, VP.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I hate it when the performance groups here do that. Well-thought out adaptations are fine, but arbitrary changes like this are downright silly.
ReplyDeleteI hope they at least sung well.
Sounds like a strange adaptation.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anything could make you like this "festival" though. :)
The photos are fantastic, VP, but I believe it seems strange attending the 'Caballeria' instead of the 'Cavalleria' even being both Rusticana! :-)))
ReplyDeleteI loved your photos and am laughing out loud at the wonderful commentary. A good way to start the day.
ReplyDeleteOh my god, I too was laughing out loud by the time I got to the end of this post. When I saw the first photo, which is beautiful by the way, I wasn't sure what to expect, what a great surprise! Your commentary is hilarious. This is like something out of a Fellini movie, or given the Spanish theme, Almodovar maybe?!
ReplyDeleteThanks for making my Monday.
Something good came out of it--your very funny description.
ReplyDeleteHa, you should be writing for the local paper!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely FABULOUS photos!!! What's the obsession with Spain?
ReplyDeleteYour narration is hilarious! Looks like a pretty big production though ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt must have been fantastic! Lucky you!!:)
ReplyDeleteMascagni and Spain??? No.
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